SCC: Craig Stanton honored at Porsche Banquet

LONG BEACH, Calif., December 21, 2004 -- Bringing to a close his most
successful season of professional sportscar racing, Craig Stanton was
honored by Porsche this past weekend in Weissach, Germany. Stanton was named
runner-up for one of the most...

LONG BEACH, Calif., December 21, 2004 -- Bringing to a close his most
successful season of professional sportscar racing, Craig Stanton was
honored by Porsche this past weekend in Weissach, Germany. Stanton was named
runner-up for one of the most coveted awards in international motorsports,
the Porsche Cup. The annual award is given to the highest finishing,
non-factory driver that has competed in a Porsche in any of a number of
international and domestic race series the world over. The Long Beach,
Calif. resident, who earned nearly $30,000 for the award, captured 8,510
points across the three race series in which he competed, all in variants of
the Porsche 996/911 platform. The annual Porsche Motorsports' banquet,
Stanton's first, was held Saturday, December 18th at Porsche's motorsports
facility one hour from their international headquarters in Stuttgart.

His first victory of the season came at the Grand-Am Cup season-opener at
Daytona International Speedway in January. There he co-drove with Terry
Borcheller (Gainesville, Ga.) in TheRaceSite.com Porsche 996. The two
would collect a total of three wins together before splitting. Stanton
would be joined by multi-team co-driver David Murry (Cumming, Ga.) for
three more wins and the Grand-Am Cup championship in TheRaceSite.com
entry. That championship earned Stanton a special wristwatch given to him
by Porsche at the banquet. He took a sole Grand American Rolex Series
victory in Super Grand Sport (SGS) class at Homestead-Miami Speedway with
Murry in the No. 16 AASCO Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 Cup entry.

Stanton added to his 2004 Porsche Cup tally by competing for Petersen
Motorsports/ White Lightning Racing for the second year. The combination
of Stanton and Petersen/ White Lightning teamed for several GT2 (formerly
GT) class podiums in 2003 including a victory at the Road America 500. In
2004, again being joined by Murry, Stanton earned six American Le Mans
Series (ALMS) GT2 podium finishes driving the No. 31 Westward Ho Casino/
MMPIE/ PAWS/ Michelin Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. Despite all having the same
996 platform, the RSR is the most sophisticated and powerful of the three
Porsche's that Stanton piloted. Although not winning a race in the ALMS
this season, Stanton finished second twice (Mosport and Road America) and
won four IMSA Cups- given to the highest finishing privateer effort in
each class- for the No. 31 Porsche. Stanton and Murry would finish tied
for fifth in ALMS GT2 driver points at season's end.

Murry, a former Porsche factory driver at Le Mans, finished fourth in the
2004 Porsche Cup with 7,515 markers. Though the award is open to the
hundreds of Porsche racers competing worldwide, only the top 15 are asked
to attend the banquet each December. Stephane Ortelli was the 2004
recipient of the Porsche Cup.

Craig Stanton: "This was really pretty darn cool. There were people from
all over the world and it was really quite an honor just to be asked to
attend. To be singled-out twice, first for the GS class victory and then
for second in the Porsche Cup standings was really, really special to me.
To have my wife Joy there with me, and Dale, Stefan and David was truly
special. I just wish the entire Petersen/ White Lightning team and all
the guys from all the crews I raced with this year could have been there.
They made this all possible for me. This was my first time to come to
Weissach and to be a part of this; to get to sit there right across from
Roland Kussmaul (lead Porsche Motorsports engineer) and his wife will be
something that I will always, always remember."